Overpass is a clumsy first effort that tries to explain the basics but leaves the player lacking feedback. The environments are well designed and varied but traversing them frustrates me. ATV's seem especially undercooked and tricky to balance. Career mode gives you something to work towards but it's a slim offering. The ideas are there but the execution leaves me unsatisfied.

If you're going to copy the Vampire Survivors formula, remember what made it so good. The Spell Brigade somewhat misses that point.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants does not breathe easy outside of an arcade setting. The short campaign loses any risk when you're given plentiful lives at the start of each stage. Whilst the new areas are welcome, they don't make the package feel any more complete. In the comforts of home, every imperfection comes into stark realisation. The slim presentation, the decent but ultimately safe combat and the overall small package makes this tough to recommend.

With the mixture of risk vs reward gameplay, a dark setting and some inspired mechanics, Mistover has a lot going for it on paper. However, in a bid to introduce stress into a turn-based RPG Roguelike, the game feels like too much of a self-prescribed slog that fails to maintain interest shortly into the adventure.

Make no mistake, Angels with Scaly Wings is a romance tale first. Despite the crime story and talk of sci-fi, the game really wants you to date dragons to unlock more intrigue. It's not for me. With the more interesting snippets of information locked behind multiple playthroughs, this leads to something I just don't enjoy. The presentation is decent but the use of multiple artists leads to a lack of visual cohesion. Above all, I dislike how sudden the relationships advance.

The Girl and the Robot feels like a small, basic package that does very little to establish something worthwhile. The puzzles are simple enough to grasp and navigating the two companions can feel enjoyable and rewarding. It's a shame it's hamstrung by combat which struggles to feel responsive or satisfying.

Overall, I find C-14 Dating to be a little bland and forgettable. The story does emphasise friendship before romance and the stat building doesn't become a genuine chore. Unfortunately, I didn't find the characters particularly engaging or interesting to talk to. I wasn't especially enthralled by the archaeology-laced writing either. It's presented well but none of it really stuck with me.

Ratalaika's latest is a reasonably good puzzle game but we suspect they are targeting trophy hunters over puzzle aficionados.

A barely-known top-down racer from 33 years ago might seem like an odd choice for a 2022 port but while it might not make much sense now, this is clearly a decent retro title and one that deserves another fifteen minutes of fame. It's let down by some careless trophies though that don't really push the player to play it better.

Air Missions: HIND can be awkward to play and looks fairly basic but there's fun to be had here for patient gamers or fans of the genre.

Super Wiloo Demake is a well-meaning indie platformer that fails to be anything but derivative and a little generic. One to grab if it’s on sale. There’s better Ratalaika games to spend your money on.

Vera Blanc: Ghost in the Castle takes an interesting comic book style and combines it with a decent spooky tale. The art style is different but it struggles to maintain a consistent quality. The inclusion of minigames does give players some light interaction but it hampers the game's brisk pace. Being asked to spot minor differences can derail any tension. Without those games, it's a more standard visual novel experience.

Monster Loves You! is a very short visual novel style game with a story which never quite hits the mark. It has a very pleasant style though and bags of charm. How much mileage you’ll get out of this depends on whether you're willing to replay for the multiple endings.

I still can't find myself comfortable within the genre but at least Fade to Silence offers people like me a foothold. Despite a more casual experience and some welcome co-op, combat feels sluggish and shallow. The world is wonderfully bleak but the storytelling fails to capitalise on the setting. There's some intriguing systems at work here but they don't combine in a way I can enjoy.

Think 'Race the Sun' but more minimalist in terms of style and content. More meaningful than some of Ratalaika's more blatant platinum bait games but this into the screen endless runner variant is a little too limited to provide real value.

King's Bounty 2 offers up a large campaign full of deep, tactical battles and plenty of lore but is hamstrung by ropey presentation, sluggish controls, slow exploration and poorly-explained combat systems.

Dark Rose Valkyrie succeeds with a decent story and a cast of likable characters but unfortunately the gameplay part of it is slow, overly complicated and underdeveloped.

Battle Stations Blockade intrigues with its cute, colourful and chunky visual style and wide array of weapons to play with but the overall design, mechanics and variety all need a lot of work still. There's fun to be had here but also, unfortunately, some boredom too.

For all that Carrier Deck likes to bombard you with, it's a game about simple tasks. There is always an imminent threat and, whilst missions are short, there's little time to mull and process between waves. The cursor moves a little too slow for my liking and that does compound the time pressures. It's got a lovely manual feel but objectives do tend to stay with accepting incoming friendlies whilst combating enemy dangers. It's a busy game but I'm just not compelled by it.

Wings of Bluestar is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up with some good ideas but the execution is a little lacking.

BDSM is an average twin-stick shooter that will find fans who get its sense of humour but lacks the excitement and flair of the best games in this genre.

Touhou Double Focus is an okish metroidvania game. It’s not massively long or even deep from a story telling point of view, and the slowdown and average map design weigh heavy on the game. You’re left then with the action to carry you through the three or so hours of game, and unfortunately the action isn’t necessarily up to this limited task.

Fans have been clamouring for the return of Crypto for some time and Destroy All Humans for PS4 is their chance to relive the bygone PS2 era and relive those ill-tempered, extra-terrestrial antics from fifteen years ago. The remake looks great but unfortunately, THQ Nordic’s 2020 effort introduces more issues than it solves; keeping repetitive audio while adding in lengthy loading times, performance issues and poorly implemented gameplay updates. For the one small step of increased graphical fidelity, this version takes one giant leap back for overall quality.

Whilst a change of developer has produced something much improved and playable, Rugby 18's rendition of the sport lacks a flow and cohesion which I find problematic. Set plays are focused whilst the open play is unbalanced and frustrating. There's a foundation there but the lack of modes and teams make the price tough to justify. There's fun to be had but, those wanting something more robust might await a drop or hold back a year.

On the one hand, War Hospital is successful at setting out an appropriate tone for a terrible time in human history. Unfortunately, it can be a difficult game to crack the surface on. The game can proceed at a slow pace and, despite the ability to speed things up, time can feel like such a precious commodity. The dour visuals and downtrodden narrative can make it very hard to feel encouraged, even by the most minor of victories. The interface can take some getting used to but I think the game's biggest obstacle is the mood itself.

Blue Rider is the latest example of a sub-sub-genre of shoot ’em up that has never really worked. With its overly long, samey levels, it all starts to feel like a chore pretty quickly but there is a level of challenge here and some arcade fans may get something out of it. But, with better options out there, this is a game that is tough to recommend.

We're always up for some co-op brawling action and we love a good loot system and RPG mechanics. Unfortunately, Blightbound rather fumbles the ball when it comes to every element. There's fun to be had when it goes well but you feel as though you're fighting every aspect of the game to get to it.

Damsel is a score chasing, timed, tough platformer with lots of mechanics. Some are good, some not so much, but the nicely animated but difficult to read visuals and level design make what should be a fast paced experience into one that doesn't flow.